Popis: |
Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid) occupies an important position among the various commercial crops of India. It is the second most important agro-industrial crop, next only to cotton in the country. Among the various approaches, use of microorganisms is one of the crucial approaches for enhancement of crop production. In recent years, endophytic bacteria are gaining much attention towards the sustainable management of the agricultural crops. They not only help in the plant growth but also in alleviating the various stresses due to their multi-faceted role. In current study, two endophytic bacteria i.e. B. cereus (strain S8) and B. subtilis (strain S 17) isolated from the sugarcane root and stalk were evaluated for their plant growth promotion activity in vitro and as well as in vivo. Data indicated that the percentage germination was higher in B. cereus (S8) over B. subtilis (S 17) treated setts when observed after 45 days of planting. Various growth parameters viz., cane height, weight, number of shoots and internodes were also increased in the presence of endophytic bacterial inoculation over uninoculated control. Thus, it is concluded that sett treatment with indigenous endophytic bacteria (Bacillus spp.) can be exploited for enhancing cane yield and productivity in sugarcane culture. |